The headmaster leaned back in his chair, an excited yet unsettling smile stretching across his face.
"This year's students show remarkable potential. Some may even surpass the strength and skill of our own professors. Amanda Heart, Sammy Ford… and several others stand out already."
One of the professors adjusted his glasses, curiosity evident in his voice.
"What about the boy—the only one who didn't receive any divine blessing? What do you make of him?"
The old man's expression shifted. He turned toward the large screen before him, where the image of an unconscious boy flickered. His eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped to a chilling calm.
"Never underestimate anyone. Not in this life."
A cold shiver ran through the room, silencing every professor present.
---
Rudra's POV
My head was ringing painfully. After a while, I forced my eyes open, but everything was still blurry. My entire body ached, and I desperately needed water before dehydration finished me off. With how weak I was, it wouldn't take long. And of course, being the idiot I am, I forgot to pack a water bottle in the emergency kit they gave us.
"…"
"Why is my luck always this messed up?" I muttered, facepalming.
With no other choice, I began my search for water. I decided to climb down the cliff and head deeper into the forest. It took me three and a half exhausting hours to descend—my body was far too weak to risk jumping. Once I reached the bottom, I moved cautiously into the forest, trying to stay hidden.
After another half hour, the faint sound of running water reached my ears. Excited, I started to run—only to freeze when another sound joined it.
Fighting.
Crouched behind the rough bark of a tree, I forced myself to breathe as quietly as possible. The clearing ahead had erupted into chaos—four figures stood at its center, each wielding an element with terrifying mastery.
A roar split the air as the fire wielder hurled a blazing arc across the battlefield. Flames twisted like serpents, scorching the ground in spirals of orange and gold. The water wielder countered instantly, sweeping their arms upward. A towering wave surged from thin air, crashing into the flames with a hiss that filled the clearing with steam.
Before the mist could settle, the earth wielder stomped the ground. The soil trembled violently, cracking open as jagged pillars of stone shot upward. One nearly skewered the air wielder, who responded with a sharp flick of their wrist. A cyclone burst forth, lifting dust, leaves, and even chunks of stone into a spiraling vortex.
I pressed myself tighter against the tree, heart pounding. The air tasted like smoke and rain, and the ground vibrated beneath my boots. Every clash of elements sent shockwaves rippling outward—heat brushing my cheek, droplets of cold water striking my arm, grit stinging my skin.
The fire wielder let out another furious shout, launching a fireball the size of a wagon wheel. The water wielder split it in two with a slicing jet, but the explosion still sent embers scattering dangerously close to my hiding spot.
I swallowed hard. If any of them noticed me, I wouldn't stand a chance. All I could do was watch as the four forces of nature tore the world apart in front of me.
The battle only grew more violent. Steam thickened the air, swirling with dust and embers until the clearing looked like the inside of a storm. My eyes darted from one fighter to the next, barely able to track the speed of their attacks.
The fire wielder lunged forward, flames spiraling around his arms like living whips. The air wielder shot upward on a column of wind, dodging the strike, but the earth wielder was already moving. With a guttural shout, he slammed both palms into the ground. A massive wall of stone erupted beneath the air wielder, catching them mid‑flight. The impact sent them crashing to the ground, unconscious before they even hit the dirt.
Three left.
The water wielder reacted instantly, sending a spear of hardened ice straight toward the earth wielder's chest. It should have pierced him clean through—but the ground swallowed his legs, pulling him down just enough for the spear to whistle harmlessly overhead. He rose again with a twist of his hand, sending a boulder hurtling toward the water wielder. It struck with brutal force, knocking them out of the fight.
Two.
The fire wielder, enraged, unleashed everything he had. A torrent of flame roared across the clearing, bright enough to blind me even from behind the tree. But the earth wielder didn't flinch. He stomped once—just once—and the ground split open. A towering slab of rock surged upward, absorbing the flames before toppling forward like a falling mountain.
When the dust settled, only one figure remained standing.
The earth wielder.
I held my breath, praying he wouldn't turn toward my hiding place.
.
.
.
But then a cold voice cut through the silence.
"Come out this instant, you fool hiding behind the tree."
"Why me…? Damn my luck."